Collapsible wig stand

ABSTRACT

A wig stand in collapsed form consists of flexible, essentially straight ribs joined at both ends to hubs. The ribs and hubs surround a center post fixed in one of the hubs and passing through the other. Forcing the hubs together buckles the ribs outward and locks them into a cage of a form suitable for holding a wig, and simultaneously spreads and locks into spread position three legs for supporting the cage. Means are provided for fastening the stand to a flat surface and for fastening a wig to the wig stand.

nited States Patent [191 Friedman et a1.

COLLAPSIBLE WIG STAND Inventors: Shirley Kay Friedman; Morris Friedman, both of Fort Lee, NJ.

Globetrotter Industries, Inc., New York, N.Y.

Filed: Apr. 1, 1971 Appl. No.: 130,126

Assignee:

us. Cl. 223/66 rm. Cl. D06c 15/00 Field of Search 223/24, 25, 66, 67,

References Cited I v UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1916 West 223/68 4/1886 Lucey 223/68 10/1880 Hall 223/68 June 26, 1973 424,230 Sherman 223/68 524,242 8/1894 Brown 223/68 3,568,899 3/1971 Rosenberg 223/66 3,603,489 9/1971 Fleisher 223/66 2,087,372 7/1937 Crawford 223/109 R Primary ExaminerGeo. V. Larkin Attorney-*Blum, Moscovitz, Friedman & Kaplan [57] ABSTRACT A wig stand in collapsed form consists of flexible, essentially straight ribs joined at both ends to hubs. The ribs and hubs surround a center post fixed in one of the hubs and passing through the other. Forcing the hubs together buckles the ribs outward and locks them into a cage of a form suitable for holding a wig, and simultaneously spreads and locks into spread position three legsfor supporting the cage. Means are provided for fastening the stand to a flat surface and for fastening a wig to the wig stand.

10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PAIENIEBJURZB I975 sum 1 w 2 FIG. 4

' INVENTORS SHIRLEY KAY FRIEDMAN MORRIS FRIEDMAN COLLAPSIBLE wrc STAND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the preparation and treatment of wigs where such treatment may involve combing or curling or setting, it is necessary that the wigs be mounted on a support simulating the shape of the human head. Such supports may be heavy but suffer principally from the disadvantage that they are bulky. As a result such mounts consume valuable space whether in shipment or in storage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A wig mount collapsible into a small space consists of flexible ribs joined at either end to lower and upper hubs and a central post fastened to the upper hub and passing through the lower hub. Externally applied pressure forcing the two hubs toward each other bows the ribs outwardly to form a cage approximately the shape of a human head and therefore suitable for mounting a wig thereon. Latching means are provided for holding the wig mount in bowed condition. The wig mount holds the wig in shape, permits styling to be accomplished, and is especially suitable for airing the wig and drying it after washing due to the open cage design which allows free flow of air therethrough.

The post may be used as the support for the assembly, and may be supplied with a suction cup at the lower end for gripping a supporting surface. Collapsible legs which can be latched in spread condition also may be provided.

The upper hub preferably has a recess therein for holding a material to which the wig may be pinned. A suitable material is foamed polystyrene.

Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide an improved wig stand which is collapsible into a small volume.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved wig stand which can be attached firmly to the surface on which it is mounted.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved wig stand to which a wig can be securely fastened.

Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a wig mounted upon the wig stand of the present invention in open position;

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1 with the wig removed;

FIG. '3 is a partial sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a side view in partial section of the wig stand in closed position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The wig standof the present invention is shown in open position in perspective view in FIG. 1. A wig 10 is held by pins 20 on a flexible cage formed of ribs 11. A center post 16 is mounted in the lower end of a hub 12 and is provided with a disc 18. The assembly stands on legs 23 and is held to a flat surface by a suction cup 35 on the lower end of the center post 16.

The wig mount is shown in more detail in FIG. 2 where the junction between the flexible ribs 11 and the upper hub 12 consists of living hinges 13. A living hinge is a hinge formed as a thin section between two main sections integrally molded of plastic material. The hinge results from the flexibility of the thin section. The upper hub 12 and the flexible ribs 11 shown in this embodiment are molded in one piece. The upper hub 12 has a recess 14 in the upper portion thereof which contains a material suitable for receiving and holding pins. A preferred material is foamed polystyrene.

At the lower end of the upper hub 12 is an axial recess 17 which holds fixedly the center post 16.

The lower ends of the flexible ribs 11 are joined to the periphery of a lower hub 19. The lower hub is more clearly shown in FIG. 3 where it will be seen that the lower hub is provided with a plurality of recesses 21 spanned by shafts 21 each of which is gripped rotatably in a groove 22' in a half cylinder 22 formed on the lower end of each of the flexible ribs 11.

Returning to FIG. 2, it will be seen that each of the legs 23 is stiffened with a leg rib 24. A segmented collar 25 lies between the center post 16 and the lower hub 19. Each segment of the collar has mounted at its lower end two collar ribs 33 making an angle with each other and having pin sockets 32. Each leg has a pair of leg pins 31 on either side. Also, each collar segment has at itsupper end a lip 35 to prevent the segments from slipping downwardly through the lower hub. These leg pins fit into the pin sockets 32 of the ribs 33.

On the lower face of the lower hub is mounted a downwardly extending annular ridge 28. Externally applied pressure between the segmented collar 25 and the upper hub 12 engages the leg cams 34 with the annular ridge 28 causing the legs 23 to spread until the detents 27 at the ends of the cams 34 receive the annular ridge 28 locking the legs in spread position. Simultaneously the lower hub is manually pushed upwardly along the center post 16 until the stop flange 26 prevents the collar 25 from moving further along the post 16. In this position the annular notch 29 around the post 16 engages the leg earns 34 which are locked to the lower hub by means of the detents 27 and annular ridge 28, thereby locking the lower hub to the center post, and holding the flexible ribs 11 in the spread position shown. The cooperating assembly of annular notch 29, leg earns 34, detents 27 and annular ridge 28 may be termed latching means."

The wig stand in collapsed position is shown in FIG. 4. It will be seen that as a result of the disc 18 having a larger diameter than either the lower or the upper hub, the flexible rigs 11 are held in slightly bowed-out position, so that bowing inwardly cannot occur.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above article without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

What is claimed is:

l. A collapsible wig stand comprising a post, a plurality of flexible ribs having first and second ends, first hub means secured to said post at one end thereof, first connecting means for joining said first ends of said ribs to said first hub means, second hub means slidably mounted on said post; second connecting means for joining said second ends of said ribs to said second hub means, said second hub means being slidable along said post between a position wherein said flexible ribs are relatively straight and a position wherein said flexible ribs are relatively lowed, and latching means acting between said second hub means and said post for releasably retaining said second hub means in said position wherein said flexible ribs are relatively bowed, wherein said ribs are molded integrally with said first hub means and said first connecting means is a living hinge.

2. A collapsible wig stand as claimed in claim 1, wherein said post and said second hub means define an assembly and further including support means carried by said assembly for supporting said wig stand in an operative position.

3. A collapsible wig stand as claimed in claim 2, wherein said support means includes a suction cup secured to said post at the other end thereof.

4. A collapsible wig stand as claimed in claim 2,

wherein said support means includes a plurality of legs pivoted to said second hub means.

5. A collapsible wig stand as claimed in claim 4, wherein said latching means includes pawl portions on said legs and a recess in said post, said legs being pivotable between a collapsed and an extended position, said pawl portions entering said recess when said legs are in said extended position.

6. A collapsible wig stand as claimed in claim 5, wherein said latching means further includes camshaped surfaces on said legs and a ridge on said second hub means, said ridge engaging said cam-shaped surfaces for releasably locking said pawl portions in said recess under the biasing force applied to said second hub means by said flexible ribs when said ribs are in said relatively bowed position.

7. A collapsible wig stand as claimed in claim 4, wherein said support means further includes a suction cup secured to said post at the other end thereof.

8. A collapsible wig stand as claimed in claim 6, wherein said second hub means includes a collar slidably mounted on said post, said legs being pivoted to said collar, and a hub surrounding said collar, said ridge being formed on said hub.

9. A collapsible wig stand as claimed in claim 1, and further including a disc carried by said post and underlying said ribs, the maximum cross sectional dimension of said disc being sufficient to maintain said ribs slightly bowed when in said relatively straight position.

10. A collapsible wig stand as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first hub means has therein a recess containing a material suitable for receiving and holding pins for securing a wig to said wig stand. 

1. A collapsible wig stand comprising a post, a plurality of flexible ribs having first and second ends, first hub means secured to said post at one end thereof, first connecting means for joining said first ends of said ribs to said first hub means, second hub means slidably mounted on said post; second connecting means for joining said second ends of said ribs to said second hub means, said second hub means being slidable along said post between a position wherein said flexible ribs are relatively straight and a position wherein said flexible ribs are relatively lowed, and latching means acting between said second hub means and said post for releasably retaining said second hub means in said position wherein said flexible ribs are relatively bowed, wherein said ribs are molded integrally with said first hub means and said first connecting means is a living hinge.
 2. A collapsible wig stand as claimed in claim 1, wherein said post and said second hub means define an assembly and further including support means carried by said assembly for supporting said wig stand in an operative position.
 3. A collapsible wig stand as claimed in claim 2, wherein said support means includes a suction cup secured to said post at the other end thereof.
 4. A collapsible wig stand as claimed in claim 2, wherein said support means includes a plurality of legs pivoted to said second hub means.
 5. A collapsible wig stand as claimed in claim 4, wherein said latching means includes pawl portions on said legs and a recess in said post, said legs being pivotable between a collapsed and an extended position, said pawl portions entering said recess when said legs are in said extended position.
 6. A collapsible wig stand as claimed in claim 5, wherein said latching means further includes cam-shaped surfaces on said legs and a ridge on said second hub means, said ridge engaging said cam-shaped surfaces for releasably locking said pawl portions in said recess under the biasing force applied to said second hub means by said flexible ribs when said ribs are in said relatively bowed position.
 7. A collapsible wig stand as claimed in claim 4, wherein said support means further includes a suction cup secured to said post at the other end thereof.
 8. A collapsible wig stand as claimed in claim 6, wherein said second hub means includes a collar slidably mounted on said post, said legs being pivoted to said collar, and a hub surrounding said collar, said ridge being formed on said hub.
 9. A collapsible wig stand as claimed in claim 1, and further including a disc carried by said post and underlying said ribs, the maximum cross sectional dimension of said disc being sufficient to maintain said ribs slightly bowed when in said relatively straight position.
 10. A collapsible wig stand as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first hub means has therein a recess containing a material suitable for receiving and holding pins for securing a wig to said wig stand. 